Bicycle-tire



Patented Aug. I6, |898.

R. W. CHURCHILL.

BICYCLE TIRE.

(Applcgtion led Apr. 2B, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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ROBERT WV. CHURCHILL, OF PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS.

BICYCLE-TIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Leiters Patent No. 609,080, dated August1e, 189e.

Application tied npiii 26, 189s.

To all whom it mag/concern: i

Beit known that I, ROBERT W. CHURCHILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Peabody, in the county ot' Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have inventedcer tain new and useful Improvements inBicycle- Tires; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full,clear,'and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention consists in an'improved pneumatic tire, and particularly atire which will automatically close punctures.

The object of my invention is to make a tire which when accidentallypunctured in use will close the puncture and prevent leakage of air.

Myinvention consists of the pneumatic tire which will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The accompanying` drawings illustrate my invention, in which- A Figure lis a cross-section of the tire and rim, showing the preferred form of myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 show modified forms. Fig. 4 is a face view ofthe preferredform of the surface configuration of the puncture-` closingstrips. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a modiiied'form of the puncture-closingstrips.

In Fig. l I have shown the preferred form of my invention,Which'consists in` an outer tube A, provided on its inside with asurface which is ribbed. The inner tube Bis pro'- vided With an outerribbed surface,`Which corresponds to the inner ribbed surface of theouter tube. These ribbed surfaces may extend around the wholecircumference of the tire or they may be limited to the outer portion ortread of the tire, as desired.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a plain outer tube A and a plain inner tube B andinterposed between them puncture-closing strips ot b, havingsurfacesprovided With complemental grooves or projections. j

In Fig. 3 I have shown; the outer tube A and the inner tube B of thesame form as shown in Fig. l, but with aninterposed strip c of soft thinvulcanizedrubber laid between them. i

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate different forms of surface configurationfor the puncture- Serial No. 678,902. (No model.)

`closing strips,whether these strips be integral parts of the tire-tubesor separate therefrom.

In Fig. 4t the surface configuration of the strip a consists inlongitudinal grooves and projections, which are adapted to engagecorresponding projections and grooves in the complementalpuncture-closing strip.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a strip c' provided with pyramidal projections,which are adapted to engage a complementalstrip b (shown in Fig. 5)provided With corresponding pyramidal recesses, which will fit theprojections of the other strip.

While I have shown these forms of puncture-closing strips, I do notdesire to limit myself to them; but I consider that my invention isgeneric to any form of strips which are provided,respectively,with`projections on the one and recesses `on the other, which t into eachother, for it is obvious that the same results would be secured by anyform of projection and recess.

The puncture-closing strips are made of soft vulcanized rubber and maybe integral with the tubes, as shown in Figs. l and 3, or separatetherefrom, as shown in Fig. 2.

Ar rlhe inner strip is preferably made With its projections ofslightly-smaller size thanthose of the outer strip, so that when rolledinto the form they take in position in the tire they fit together.

In use, the inner tube being iniiated, the rubber of the innerpuncture-closing strip is compressed into the projections and recessesof the outer puncture-closing strip, or in the formshown in Fig. 3 therubber of the strip c is compressed between the projections of the twostrips. The rubber of the inner puncture-closing strip is thuscompressed bodily, so that when the tire is punctured and the puncturingthing withdrawn the pressure of the air upon portions of the stripadjacent to the puncture, together with the inherent elasticity of therubber itself due to its compression, presses the rubber together at theIOO ture-closing strips provided respectively with 15 projections andrecesses adapted to fit into each other, substantially as described.

3. A pneumatic tire having outer and inner tubes, and intermediatecomplemental puncture-closing strips provided respectively with 2olongitudinal grooves and recesses adapted to t into each other,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature y in presence of twowitnesses.

ROBERT W. CHURCHILL. Vitnesses:

PURVIS F. SMITH, JOHN W. HoLLEY.

